1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a test strip for measuring medical data and, more particularly, to a test strip for the analysis of medical data from blood. Also, the present invention relates to a method for measuring medical data using the test strip.
2. Description of the Related Art
The total cholesterol level in blood, plasma or serum is known as one type of medical data indicative of the risk of coronary arteriosclerosis. However, since recent clinical studies have shown a positive correlation between the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and the risk of coronary arteriosclerosis, LDL cholesterol levels are preferred as a medical indicator to total cholesterol levels.
LDL cholesterol levels can be measured using test strips in which suitable reactive agents are contained. Most of the measurement strips have a structure in which a plurality of pads containing reagents therein are stacked between an upper cover and a lower support. This stack structure is designed to flow a sample vertically. In this regard, the smoothness of the contact surfaces between an upper and a lower layer, together with the thickness of the pads, determines the flow rate and necessary amount of the blood. Particularly, in the case of dry biochemical strips comprising dry reagents, greater numbers of the pads or thicker pads give greater rise to measurement errors.